A HEALTH watchdog today warned patient services could suffer under controversial NHS shake-up plans.

The body which oversees all health care in Cumbria and Lancashire is to be scrapped in favour of a North West body.

But a leading member of two official watchdogs, which oversee East Lancashire, has raised concerns over the plan.

Bob Simpson, who sits on the Patient and Public Involvement Forums for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and Blackburn with Darwen PCT, said: "It's too large a task."

And he fears East Lancashire NHS authorities could lose out to big city rivals in Liverpool and Manchester.

The new body will be the second largest of the ten new "strategic health authorities" in England, and will serve 6.8million people.

It will oversee health care in Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside, and Greater Manchester.

This compares to just 1.9million people served by the Preston-based Cumbria and Lancashire SHA, which is to be replaced on July 1 after being in operation for just four years.

Strategic health authorities oversee all NHS authorities, including primary care trusts and hospital trusts.

They are seen as a go-between for trusts and the Government, with powers to lend money and demand improved performance.

Mr Simpson said: "The SHA has an overarching responsibility to ensure that everything that is supposed to be happening is happening. But I wonder if regionalisation is the way to do it. To take into account all these areas, I think is too large a task.

"It may create a bigger pot of money, but there are going to be more people aiming for the same pot. The one with the strongest voice may not be the one that needs help the most."

A spokesman for the new SHA denied patient care would suffer, but pointed out East Lancashire would be answerable to Manchester following the shake-up.

He said: "From the extensive work undertaken by the three current SHAs to determine the headquarters for the new SHA, it became apparent that Gateway House, in Manchester, would best meet the agreed criteria for the HQ of the SHA.

"This will be our recommendation to the incoming chair and chief executive."

The appointment of Sir David Henshaw as chairman of the new body has also caused controversy. Health Minister and Liverpool MP Jane Kennedy was sacked last week after criticising the appointment of Sir David, former chief executive of Liverpool City Council.

The new chief executive of the SHA will be Mike Farrar, former chief executive of West Yorkshire SHA.